Polymaker’s New Innovative 3D Printing Materials

Polymaker has announced a series of new materials, and showcased some dramatic demonstrations of their capabilities.

PETG 3D print made from Polymaker materials

Polymaker Engineering Materials

The China-based company has been
one of the leaders in the 3D printing industry and in developing
engineering-grade high-quality 3D printing filaments. They have also come out
with some highly unusual 3D printing materials, and now take pride in a rather
comprehensive range of products.

Among their extensive material
catalog are some new materials, including a unique nylon-reinforced PETG
material. Typically, we’ve seen PETG as a standalone material, but this is an
interesting composite that combines an easy ability to print with some added
strength.

3D print made from Polymaker PolyMide-CF a carbon fiber-reinforced material

In their PolyMide (warp-free
nylon) series, Polymer has added PolyMide-CF, a carbon fiber-reinforced PA6
filament. This material is likely one of the strongest produced by Polymaker,
as it combines the incredible strength of carbon fiber with their heat
resistant PA6. It is incredible that they manage to make the nylon warp-free as
it makes the material very easy to print.

Strong Carbon Fiber 3D Print

PolyDissolve S1
marks Polymaker’s entry into the soluble support material market, for materials
that can be completely dissolved in plain room-temperature water. This is an
important material for the professional market, as it enables very easy 3D
printing of highly complex geometries on machines equipped with dual material
extrusion. Polymaker says the new material is usable with PLA, TPU, PVB and PA.

ASA 3D Printing Material

PolyLite ASA is a new member to
their PolyLite line, which comprises basic materials usable at all levels.
Currently their PolyLite line includes PLA, ABS, PC, PETG, and now adds ASA to
complete the set. ASA is a material similar to ABS, but with far better outdoor
capabilities, as it is resistant to UV, water and some chemicals, making it
attractive for use in certain types of parts.

Although not
entirely new, we were able to examine a large section from a huge 3D print of a
pedestrian bridge completed by Polymaker some months ago. This bridge used
their industrial AS200GF material. No, it’s not gluten-free ASA, but is in fact
a type of high-strength ABS.

The material was extruded in
thick beads to quickly form segments for the bridge, as seen here. The bridge
is located in Shanghai and is apparently the longest 3D printed bridge in the
world.

One material in particular caught
our attention, and that was PC-FR. This is a polycarbonate material that is
fire resistant, and that is a very important property, as it allows the
material to be used in many more regulated applications, in particular
aerospace.

Just in Time 3D Prints

Here we see an incredible
example of how this material capability is being leveraged in an ingenious way.
What you’re seeing here is a “foot step” part from an aisle airliner seat. The
donut-shaped part is used by passengers or flight attendants to “step” up to
more easily access the upper stowage areas on Boeing 737 aircraft.

This airline seat feature allows one to step up to access storage [Source: Fabbaloo]

The problem being solved is that these parts tend to break, no doubt from the weight of heavy individuals using them. The solution provided by Polymaker for China Airlines involved developing centralized 3D printing centers at the airline’s hubs.

Then, aircraft could report broken parts while enroute, triggering the printing of a replacement. When the aircraft eventually arrives at the hub, the new part is ready to go. Apparently the foot step is not the only part the airline is using in this solution. It’s an interesting print-on-demand solution that should be used for many other scenarios.

Fabbaloo tracks developments in the amazing technology of 3D Printing, publishing news and analysis daily. Whether from a manufacturer’s press release, onsite coverage of events or just some crazy ideas we thought up, our material will keep you up to date.